Preserving the Japanese way: traditions of salting, fermenting, and pickling for the modern kitchen

Book Cover
Average Rating
Publisher
Andrews McMeel Publishing
Publication Date
[2015]
Language
English

Description

"Nancy Hachisu's deep and intimate knowledge of Japanese food culture comes from living most of her life in Japan, married into a farming family, and then beyond what she learned from them, she has relentlessly explored the country's many varied preservation traditions. Her guidance and recipes reflect meticulous research and refinement. This book is the most thorough overall resource that I know of in English on Japanese food preservation techniques." — Sandor Ellix Katz, author of The Art of Fermentation, Wild Fermentation, and other booksPreserving the Japanese Way, nominated for a 2016 James Beard Award in the International Cookbook category, introduces Japanese methods of salting, pickling, and fermenting that are approachable and easy to integrate into a Western cooking repertoire. Documentary-quality photo essays reveal the local Japanese communities that support these long-established preservation practices. It is by Nancy Singleton Hachisu, author of Japanese Farm Food.Preserving the Japanese Way: Traditions of Salting, Fermenting, and Pickling for the Modern Kitchen offers a clear road map for preserving fruits, vegetables, and fish through a nonscientific, farm- or fisherman-centric approach. An essential backdrop to the 125 recipes outlined in this book are the producers and the artisanal products used to make these salted and fermented foods. The more than 350 arresting photos of the barrel maker, fish sauce producer, artisanal vinegar company, 200 hundred-year-old sake producer, and traditional morning pickle markets with local grandmas still selling their wares document an authentic view of the inner circle of Japanese life. Recipe methods range from the ultratraditional— Umeboshi (Salted Sour Plums), Takuan (Half-Dried Daikon Pickled in Rice Bran), and Hakusai (Fermented Napa Cabbage)— to the modern: Zucchini Pickled in Shoyu Koji, Turnips Pickled with Sour Plums, and Small Melons in Sake Lees. Preserving the Japanese Way also introduces and demystifies one of the most fascinating ingredients to hit the food scene in a decade: koji. Koji is neither new nor unusual in the landscape of Japan fermentation, but it has become a cult favorite for quick pickling or marinades. Preserving the Japanese Way is a book about community, seasonality as the root of preserved food, and ultimately about why both are relevant in our lives today.

More Details

Contributors
Miura, Kenji,1956- photographer., pht
Tanis, David writer of foreword
ISBN
9781449450885

Table of Contents

From the Book

Preserving a way of life
Salt, wind, and sun
Miso
Soy sauce
Fish sauce
Rice vinegar, sour plums, and persimmons
Koji, sake lees, and rice bran
Tofu, natto, and Konnyaku
Katsuobushi, Konbu, and Niboshi
Chile peppers and kimchee
Sake, Shochu, and tea
Afterword: The Snow of 2014
Glossary of Japanese produce
Fruits and vegetables by pickling method.

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Author Notes

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Published Reviews

Library Journal Review

Hachisu (Japanese Farm Food), an American living on an organic farm in rural Japan, here explores the ancient Japanese traditions of preserving. While conventional recipes often call for large amounts of ingredients and ferment or dry for days, weeks, and/or even months outdoors, Hachisu's recipes can be made in smaller quantities in modern Western kitchens. Dishes include eggplant pickled in soy mustard, sake ice cream with figs, thinly sliced ginger pickles, and homemade soy milk. The copious, clear photos, equivalent measures, lists of resources and recommended shops, and the author's many cooking tips make this an important reference. Her introductions to traditional craftspeople, well-known chefs, culinary experts, and entrepreneurs transport readers around the globe, creating a cookbook that reads like a hard-to-put-down novel or a travel diary. VERDICT A useful and distinct resource.-Ruth Amernick, San Francisco P.L. © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Library Journal Reviews

Hachisu (Japanese Farm Food), an American living on an organic farm in rural Japan, here explores the ancient Japanese traditions of preserving. While conventional recipes often call for large amounts of ingredients and ferment or dry for days, weeks, and/or even months outdoors, Hachisu's recipes can be made in smaller quantities in modern Western kitchens. Dishes include eggplant pickled in soy mustard, sake ice cream with figs, thinly sliced ginger pickles, and homemade soy milk. The copious, clear photos, equivalent measures, lists of resources and recommended shops, and the author's many cooking tips make this an important reference. Her introductions to traditional craftspeople, well-known chefs, culinary experts, and entrepreneurs transport readers around the globe, creating a cookbook that reads like a hard-to-put-down novel or a travel diary. VERDICT A useful and distinct resource.—Ruth Amernick, San Francisco P.L.

[Page 129]. (c) Copyright 2015 Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Copyright 2015 Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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